Egoy3k:robohobo: Seems like a good thread to ask this, sorry for the jack. Does anyone have a suggestion for a decent mini-micro pc for use as a media center? Able to run full HD/basic internet use? Something I can attach a big ole multi-TB hard drive to...

I just built an ridiculously overpowered desktop for gaming that can also handle media for the entire house.

I can stream media to my xbox or a laptop, download media torrents, burn media and play a game all at once if necessary. Actually with the power of modern computers the real limiting factor on my system is the router which I corrected with DD-wrt but could have corrected by buying a better router which you should be ready to do before installing third party firmware on your router anyway since there is a definite possibility that you can brick it.

Up until now I've just been streaming through my ps3, which works okay enough except my laptop is a few years old and had trouble streaming HD. It's far past time to have something dedicated just for media use-streaming, torrents, old console emulating, etc.. I don't need a new laptop itself, since all I really need it for is internet, excel, and ftp'ing for work. I want a tuner, since I don't pay for cable, I have rabbit ears attached to my hdtv, which work perfectly, but I'd like to be able to dvr. Last time I built a pc from parts, Windows 95 was all the rage.

Loreweaver:red5ish: If and when something of this nature is implemented you may choose to opt out by not purchasing or using it.

Which means you will never be permitted to watch a TV show or movie EVER again, nor will you be allowed to listen to music, play video games, and will not be allowed to sit in any vehicle equipped with a stereo and/or video system.

If the RIAA and MPAA have their way, all forms of entertainment will be tightly controlled by their laws, and anyone who does not give in to their demands will be thrown in jail, or will no longer be legally able to function in society, since you won't be legally allowed to possess any device which isn't tied directly into their per-viewer fee system.

Allowing crap ideas like this to even get a toehold leaves the promoters of it with a simple calculation of how many people don't mind and thus makes the model profitable. I certainly still enjoy buying paper books because those can't be turned off at the whim of the copyright holders.

red5ish:If and when something of this nature is implemented you may choose to opt out by not purchasing or using it.

Which means you will never be permitted to watch a TV show or movie EVER again, nor will you be allowed to listen to music, play video games, and will not be allowed to sit in any vehicle equipped with a stereo and/or video system.

If the RIAA and MPAA have their way, all forms of entertainment will be tightly controlled by their laws, and anyone who does not give in to their demands will be thrown in jail, or will no longer be legally able to function in society, since you won't be legally allowed to possess any device which isn't tied directly into their per-viewer fee system.

Fark_Guy_Rob:It's not an original idea. It's not even implemented. The 'hard' parts behind it aren't detailed. It's just a sci-fi pipe-dream they can call 'dibs' on and then either they'll come up with a cool way to market it, or wait for someone else to do it and get a licensing deal/sue them.

What hard parts? They already have facial recognition for logging you in to the 360, how hard is that to extend? Bind the license to particular set of people, and it's well within the tech they have now. Rental only works when people registered to the 360 are there and only so many of them, unrecognized people abort playback.

I don't think it's hard with the tech they have now, it's more along the lines I question whether or not it's patentable.